A wide variety of containers are known in the prior art which include a container body and a cover hingedly connected to the container body. Many prior art containers are for the retention of products of various types during shipment and storage. Some containers also function to contain therein a supply of items of various types which are gradually depleted over a period of time by the consumer. Some items, for example pre-moistened wipes or wash cloths, require a container in which the cover will form an essentially moisture-tight seal with the container body when closed, even after repeated opening of the container during depletion of the articles over a period of time.
Often, the hinge arrangements utilized in the prior art containers of this latter type actually interfere with the proper moisture-tight closure of the containers. Furthermore, many prior art hinge constructions are of the so-called "living hinge" type; that is, the hinges are integrally formed with both the container body and the cover. Repeated use can cause hinges of this type to break. In addition, living hinge constructions may cause inadvertent closure of the cover when the user wishes it to remain open. Retrieval of the container's contents can be a two hand project when the consumer only has one free.
There are, of course, prior art containers in existence incorporating hinge constructions other than the integral or living hinge. Many incorporate a separate container body and cover, with the cover being retained on the container body by cooperating hinge elements on the cover and container body. For example, hinges comprising a socket member on either the container body or the cover have been employed which pivotally receive a projection on the other container component to complete the hinge. Such hinge constructions are often difficult to assemble, requiring either highly specialized equipment or relatively intensive labor. Also, extremely tight manufacturing tolerances often must be maintained, especially when the container is formed of molded plastic material, to ensure proper fit and operation of the hinge components both during assembly and thereafter.